Educational Science

More Humpback Whales in North Pacific Than Thought

More humpback whales are swimming in the waters of the North Pacific Ocean than previously thought, an analysis of the largest ever humpback whale survey finds. The number of North Pacific humpback whales in the 2008 study known as the Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks,...

Humpback Whale Populations Sing Different Tunes

Humpback whales living on different sides of the southern Indian Ocean bellow very different songs, suggesting the behemoths don't mingle much, or at least they aren't freely sharing their musical material, a new study finds. The results, published in the January issue of the journal Marine Mammal Science, give scientists...

Humpback whales and killer whales are losing up to 94 percent and 97 percent, respectively, of their communication space in the busiest areas of the ocean off the British Columbia coast, according to a new study. Although this simplified summary represents a somewhat pessimistic interpretation of 10,000 hours of underwater...

Humpback Whales Learn Hunting Technique from Peers

Evidence is mounting that several animals can learn behaviors from their peers, and pass down these traditions from generation to generation — an ability once thought to be uniquely human. The latest study to document social learning in animals, published today (April 25) in the journal Science, has found that...

In Photos: Tracking Humpback Whales in the South Pacific Ocean

Scientists monitored the travels of the southwestern Pacific humpback whale in an offshore habitat off New Caledonia, in the South Pacific Ocean. They found that underwater mountains called seamounts serve as key stopovers in the whales' migratory routes. Here's a look at images from the tracking study of the humpback...

Humpback Whales Reluctant to Migrate from Antarctica

Humpback whales spend their summers in Antarctica chowing down on shrimplike krill. Now, scientists are finding that these marine behemoths are reluctant to leave the Antarctic as winter draws near. A new study, published online July 30 in the journal Endangered Species Research, is one of the few to count...

Humpback Whales Are Bottom-Feeders, Study Suggests

Just like naughty children on Halloween, humpback whales enjoy midnight snacks. In the case of the whales, this takes the form of a previously unknown behavior, in which the animals repeatedly rotate their bodies and gulp fish just off the seafloor, sometimes making contact with the ocean bottom itself and...

Distinct Humpback Whale Populations Found in North Pacific

Five distinct humpback whale populations have been identified across the North Pacific Ocean in the most comprehensive genetic study of the mammals in this region yet, a new study reports. The ranges of the newly identified populations include: Hawaii; Mexico; Central America; Okinawa and the Philippines; and an additional West...

Whale of a Surprise: Humpbacks Winter in Antarctica

Underwater conversations between humpbacks have revealed a surprising secret: Some of the whales in the Southern Hemisphere appear to skip their northward migration and stay in frigid Antarctic waters for the winter. A scientist overheard the whales chatting in the month of April – the start of the Antarctic fall...

Extremely Rare White Humpback Filmed Near Norway

Call me Dan. It may not have the same ring as Call me Ishmael, the eternal first line of Herman Melville's Moby Dick, but facts are facts and Dan Fisher has to start his own story of a white whale somewhere. Fisher, a Welsh maritime engineer, spotted an extremely rare...